27.9.13

So you've been dreaming to visit Barcelona and to watch the FC Barcelona match in Camp Nou?
Whether you're a hardcore football fan or just love to admire those handsome football players (like I do), this is a good news for you.

Watch this beautiful video and join the Qatar Airways
cabin attendant as she travels through the island meeting FC Barcelona
players past and present before reaching her final destination: Camp
Nou.

It's to time to stop dreaming and to start planning for your trip to Barcelona, a place with red and blue running through its veins, where people share a love for the game of football. Because recently FC Barcelona has chosen Qatar Airways as the first commercial shirt partner in the club’s 114-year history. And to celebrate this partnership, Qatar Airways offer a match package holiday deal to watch the club play from iconic stadium, Camp Nou. You can choose one of those packages with interesting price which included match tickets, return flights from Doha to Barcelona and 3 nights stay at a 4* hotel plus breakfast.

I'll see you soon at Camp Nou Stadium

While I had been to Barcelona back in 2009 but I only got the chance to take pictures in front of the Camp Nou Stadium. Now as I'm browsing through the match packages deal, I'm so tempted to book one for myself. I've never seen any football match in a stadium before. Oh! and I want to meet Gerard Pique in person. I guess it's going to be an awesome lifetime experience to take part of the partnership Qatar Airways and FC Barcelona. A team that unites the world.

Adiós! Nos vemos enBarcelona!

This post has been sponsored by Qatar Airways, but all thoughts are my own

17.9.13

I didn't do any pre-trip research about Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Usually before visiting a new place or country, I'd spend plenty time
for browsing some information and pictures so I know exactly what to
expect when I get there. But not this time. I knew completely nothing
about this country. When people mention about Bosnia, what I imagined
was a scene of war and ruins everywhere. And I told myself, "Let's
just travel to this country with no expectation at all and maybe I'll
discover something interesting there."

the ruins

remnants of war

I walked toward the Old City of Mostar and I passed by some ruins of war.
My heart sank when I saw houses with destroyed roof and walls riddled
with bullet holes. I just can't imagine the terrorthat must befaced byresidents during the war from 1992 to 1995. I felt a sudden overwhelming feeling of sadness and I got dizzy, so I dragged myself to leave that area.

entering the old town

pretty souvenirs

As I was walking on the cobblestone street of the Old City my eyes widened in awe, admiring those beautiful stone buildings with the roof made of slate. It felt like strolling through the ancient past, discovering the dozens of handcraft and artisan shop that line along both sides.

Mostar is the largest and one of the most important cities in the Herzegovina region where many cultures meet and create one of the richest cultural heritage of southern Europe. It's once hosted Roman explorers and Ottoman invaders thus the architecture and ambiance reminds me of Turkey. I walk up to the Old Bridge and was greeted by the fascinating scenery of the greenish blue water of Neretva river. Seriously, I've never imagined I'd see such view in this region.

Neretva River in Mostar

Koski Mehmed Paša Mosque

interior of the mosque

Stari Most or Mostar Old Bridge

Stari Most or the Old Bridge in Mostar is listed on UNESCO World Heritage. It's a reconstruction of a 16th-century Ottoman bridge that crosses the river Neretva and connects two parts of the city. The Old Bridge stood for 427 years, until it was destroyed on 9 November 1993 during the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After the end of the war, plans were raised to reconstruct the bridge which started on 7 June 2001 and the reconstructed bridge was inaugurated on 23 July 2004.

When I was there I saw a lot of people clustered on the bridge. And to my surprise there were some local guy who were ready to jump and dive into the river. Tourists would pay around €30 to €50 for one jumper to see the attraction. Mind you, the bridge is about 24m high! It's very risky and only the most skilled and best trained divers are allowed to jump.

wearing Batik in Mostar :D

traditional market

my fave corner of the cafe

heading to Sarajevo

This trip made me realize that sometimes it's good to travel without any expectations nor to be influenced by other people's opinion. You might judge the place even before you visit it. What seems to be a bad experience for one person is not necessarily will happen to us too . Because in travelling, no one gets the same experience as others. In Mostar, what I saw and learnt surprised me, in a good way. As I walk through the old city, I felt like a child who visit Disneyland for the first time and excited to discover the whole new things.
I love that simple feeling, I truly do :)

9.9.13

Finally I've made it to Venice!
Even though I've visited Italy for couple times before, somehow I had always failed to put Venice on my itinerary. So I was excited to tick 'gondola ride in Venezia' off my bucket list.

"Gondola ride? That's too touristy! We're travellers not tourists." One snobbish traveller laughed at my idea.
"What's wrong with it?" I replied and smiled. " I love being a tourist sometimes. Also, I'm not going to limit myself about what to do and should not do as a traveller. I just want to experience as much as I can. My own way."

So shall we start our gondola ride now? I have some empty space here, in case you want to hop on and join me :)

floating through the canals

a boat in one of the canals

Venice is built on an archipelago of 117 islands formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, connected by 409 bridges. In the old centre, the canals serve the function of roads, and almost every form of transport is on water or on foot. This city has a rich and diverse architectural style, the most famous is Gothic style.

I've always love old or vintage buildings. And while having a gondola ride I had a great time admiring those decayed wall with the paint peeling off wall and exposing the red bricks underneath. I find it very beautiful. I was excitedly taking pictures and without realising I kept moving to get the best angle which caused the gondola swaying. At one point I almost toppled off to the water and the gondolier (gondola driver) scolded me. Whoa, such a cranky gondolier!, that's what I thought. Turned out it could be dangerous because a week after that, I saw on the news one tourist was killed on a gondola ride in Venice.

the Grand canal

the famous Rialto bridge

passing through Rialto bridge

vintage building

gondola parking lot in Venice

Did I enjoy the go gondola ride in Venice ? Absolutely! It's quite expensive though, you have to fork out about €80 to €120 depends on whether you choose a short or long route. But it's worth it, really. To me, Venice has stolen a piece of my heart. It's very crowded and touristy nevertheless has its own charm. Ciao, Venezia! I will definitely come back one day :)

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Living a semi-nomadic life since birth. Visited 50+ countries in 5 continents. A retired pastry chef and now shares stories about her journey around the world on www.debbzie.com, instagram and twitter. Feel free to contact me at vdebbz@yahoo.com